I just checked my LinkedIn home page – and one of my connections had commented on a video by a new business called Viewdle. Take a look at it below:-

Absolutely brilliant, mind-boggling video. Before I get on to the rest of the blog, here were the first two comments on my LinkedIn page about it:

Dr. Kim (Kyllesbech Larsen) “This is so cool that I get goosebumps (or am I scared?)”

Tim Lewis“Agreed Kim! I saw this at MWC and was impressed but concerned in equal measure”

I created this blog to track my journey of understanding the value of Personal Networks – and how to visualise them. Watching this video today gave me a fantastic glimpse in to the future – and I’m not sure how comfortable it made me feel! It leaps several levels about the visualisation of Personal Networks I had imagined.

One of the first thoughts I had was – “wouldn’t that be great built in to your glasses – so you never have that ‘they know me, but I’m so embarrassed I can’t remember their name.’ moment again!” However, the more I think about it – the phrase “beauty is only skin deep” comes to mind. Do I really want to know so much about everyone I meet? I’d like to judge them by their beauty or their “Digital Dossier”.

Our family are moving to a new city – and my wife and I walked out in Bath yesterday chatting about the future. One of the discussions was about out 13 year old son – and what he would be like when he was 18 and living in the city. I said that he’d be sneaking in to the house late at night and playing games with his mates on the Playstation 3. We both said – “no – it will be a Playstation 5 by then”. What will that beast be able to do – technology moves on at such a pace.

I hope in 5 years time I will meet people I know nothing about – and build a relationship “unwrapping the layers of the onion”. I’m worried that this might not be possible – everyone I meet will have an FBI style security briefing/”Digital Dossier” attached to them that will pop up on my iPhone 10! Anyone out there with a comment to re-assure me??? Off to check out Viewdle …

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Thanks Phil so much for finding this! I am amazed and a little in awe of this concept. (I won’t however, say it is awesome!) It certainly sets the imagination off! I too have a 13 year old son and I wonder how his life will be with such technology available. If this is now, what will be around in another decade? Will I still be asking him to spend less time on Playstation 5 (HA!) and read a few more books? I enjoy your blog a lot, it looks a everything in much more detail than most and it’s good because we travel so far and so fast now that we miss a lot and need grounding occasionally. (I must add that I love the architecture in Bath, wonderful!) Incidentally, I did ask for your consent, but you’re probably having lunch as I type, I just HAVE to publish a post on this subject. I promise to link to you and give credit where it is due, BUT this is too big a subject for me to ignore. Plus, sharing and engaging is what Social Media is all about, right? If we didn’t want to share we’d write stuff and put it in a box like J D Salinger. Thanks Phil!

Peter tweeted me a link to his post about this video and I followed the links back to your original post. I wish I could reassure you but everything I know would only make you less comfortable – not more.

The masses have no clue how dangerous this is. Do you remember a really chessy movie that came out probably in the ’70s where the male and female leads are forced to “compete” strapped into some slalom thing that lands them in dangerous areas. Supposedly the “winners” are sent to some island paradise but the find the skeletons of the previous “winners”.

When they won’t cooperate the media spin is they murdered someone or something like that and they are basically terrorists although I don’t believe that term was used back then.

The movie seemed ridiculous back then. Older and wiser, now it reminds me of Roman day gladiators and the Colliseum and the reality shows of today. The more things change the more they stay the same – except for the outer illusion. We are all still pawns in someone else’s game until we choose to opt out of this videogame called life.

Physically we can choose to do that at some point and move far from the cameras and give up our technology to preserve our freedom or we are stuck with whatever the masses will tolerate – and that is pretty much anything.

I have been writing about the privacy risks and dangers of data mining for years and linked this comment to one of many of those posts in my current blog.

Hi Gail. It is a worry – but I do have a confidence in the on-line world that the tools to “revolt” are at hand for dissenters. You look at the North Africa uprisings recently – and apply it to the on-line world. Makes me feel that Facebook and others will NOT be evil. Every generation has these concerns – and it works out somehow. Suppose I am just an entrepreneurial optimist. However, I would like to have a better vision of the way ahead. Will continue to explore and share through this blog. Thanks for the link. P

Phil, my knee-jerk response to “does this make us uncomfortable?” is that IT DOESN’T MATTER if it makes us uncomfortable or not, it’s going to happen. (For the record, despite the fact that I’ve made all my major gaffes and faux pas right out there in public, I still don’t like feeling spied on.)

As this becomes ubiquitous, 98.6% of the conversation is going to be about whether it’s ethical/comfortable/positive or not.

The conversation that matters will be the other 1.4% where you and I will be, eh?

Your right. I’m not a “privacy merchant” – but this certainly pepped up my thinking of how we visualise our Personal Network in the future. I was thinking maps and InMaps – and suddenly there’s bubbles popping out of everyone’s head as we talk to them!! Just need to get my “vision” back… Great Maths by the way – I’m hanging around your 1.4%

This is cool video, I was discussing about this concept with a friend of mine, we called it “Life live” or rather. I guess with the advance of technology and bandwith that we have on our cell phones these kinds of things are going to be easily achievable…

Hi Bojan. You are right it’s a “cool video”. I suppose my problem is that this is so “game changing” that I need to sit back on my vision of the future. “Self Regulated” sounds good – the honesty and openness in people’s approach to social networking is refreshing. Thanks for book recommend. On hols next week – will try to have a read.

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